Chapter 271: Tears of the Elf Queen
Chapter 271: Tears of the Elf Queen
The sight had been horrific, but at least we had something to show for it. From the second basement floor, we had obtained a total of three items: the heavily mutilated corpse of a unicorn, a unicorn’s horn, and the Tears of the Elf Queen. I wanted to examine the information on the Elf Queen’s Tears in detail, but it was clear from the looks on Ko Yeonju and Lee Yoojung’s faces that they wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. So, I decided to just grab what we needed and head straight back up the stairs to the first floor.
When the party members waiting for us on the first floor saw the unicorn corpse I was carrying, they all recoiled in horror. A few of the more soft-hearted ones seemed to recall the baby unicorn we had met before entering this place, and they showed an excessive amount of grief.
I had expected this reaction from my clan members. The reason I had brought the corpse anyway was because I, too, had thought of the baby unicorn. No matter how unpredictable the Hall Plain was, it was hard to believe our encounter with the unicorn in the canyon was a mere coincidence. I had a strong feeling it was connected to the unicorn I was now carrying. Since they are animals with a strong sense of community, weren't they likely searching for this missing one?
If I was right, and if we could meet them again, I was even considering returning this corpse to them. Rather than making enemies by keeping it, I calculated that since they were a race that never forgot a kindness, we might be rewarded for it someday. Of course, if we couldn't find them, I planned to just keep it. Even a part of a unicorn’s corpse could be traded for an enormous price, and even if I didn't sell it, it was an ingredient Vivian would go absolutely crazy for.
If she were here, she would probably be clinging to my arm, her eyes sparkling. I smiled inwardly at the thought and calmly began to check the condition of the fallen users. None of the people we rescued had woken up yet. Still, it seemed they had been cared for as much as possible in my absence; except for one or two who seemed beyond hope, most of them were breathing relatively steadily.
After spending a little more time, I was able to check on all the users. I then declared the end of the rescue operation to the clan members and ordered them to leave this place and return to the castle’s hall. As if they, too, wanted to leave this unsettling place as quickly as possible, they each swiftly hoisted one or two users onto their backs and formed up behind me.
Seeing them, I felt like the most urgent matters were now behind us. A relaxed breath escaped me at the thought that all that remained was to explore the castle.
Finally, after watching Ko Yeonju tuck the last two women under her arms, I strode quickly toward the stairs leading to the castle's inner hall. I was eager to begin the exploration.
*
After about thirty minutes, we were able to return to the castle's hall through the fireplace. We had to be careful since we were each carrying one or two users, so it inevitably took a little longer than when we first entered.
As soon as we emerged from the basement, most of the clan members wore awkward expressions. The scene in the basement, which was no different from a vision of hell, stood in stark contrast to the quiet, albeit eerie, scenery of the castle.
If I were a user burning with a sense of justice, or if the users whose lives now hung in the balance were my brother or Han Soyoung, I would have chosen to return to the city without a second thought. But unfortunately, these people were complete strangers. And to be honest, our mission was to gather ‘traces,’ not to ‘rescue.’ Just saving them from the prison and providing the best treatment we could was, in a way, already exceeding our original mission objectives. Moreover, since this was a ruin, we had the right to prioritize ‘exploration.’
So, I placed the unicorn down in the center of the hall, turned to the group, and spoke.
“For now, let’s gather the users here. And…”
“Hyung. Wait a moment.”
Just as I was about to suggest we split up to explore each floor, Ahn Hyun spoke up cautiously. I looked at him, my eyes asking what was wrong, and he glanced down at the able-bodied man he was carrying as he continued.
“I think something’s wrong with this person.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He was quiet until a moment ago, but as we were coming up the stairs, his breathing got rough, and he started groaning…”
“Is that so? Let me see. Hangyul, get out the potions. One for calming, one for healing. And Ahn Sol, I know it’s tough, but please cast a healing spell one more time.”
“Oh, what do I do? I think I might have shaken him too much on the way up.”
A worried tone was evident in Ahn Hyun’s voice as he laid the man down. Thinking that he still sounded every bit like a Year 0 User, I slowly observed the man’s condition.
The man appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties. His face was covered in scratches from the ordeal, but its overall sharp lines gave him a rugged impression. Just as Ahn Hyun had said, he was groaning, his eyelids fluttering.
“───. ───. ───. Cure!”
Just then, Ahn Sol finished her incantation, and a cluster of white light seeped into the man’s body. The moment it did, his faintly trembling eyes twitched violently. His breathing grew rougher, but it was becoming much more regular than the shallow breaths he’d been taking before.
“H-Hyung. Do you think he might… die?”
“I don’t know. And it’s a shame, but if he dies, there’s nothing we can do. But from what I can see, it looks like he’s about to open his eyes.”
“Oh, really?”
“In any case, let’s just wait a little longer.”
I told the panicking Ahn Hyun to wait patiently, and a little more time passed. Then, very slowly, we saw the man’s eyes begin to open. His eyelids rose halfway, then fell. They rose again, then fell again.
The man blinked repeatedly, perhaps because of the sudden bright light or because his focus was blurry. Soon, his eyelids opened more than halfway and stopped falling. It seemed his vision had fully recovered, as his gaze, filled with confusion, which had been wandering aimlessly, slowly shifted towards us.
“Uh… ugh…”
The man opened his mouth, but only a dry, raspy sound came out. I supported the back of his neck, took out a potion with a calming effect, and slowly poured it down his throat. Seeing that there were other people and judging from my actions, he seemed to realize we were trying to help him, and a look of relief washed over his face.
“Gulp. Keuh… Keuheuu…”
“Are you feeling better?”
“Keuh. Wh-where is this…”
“This is the first-floor hall of the castle. We are Users who came to rescue you on a request from the Istantel Low Clan. We have dealt with the mage who imprisoned you, so you can rest easy.”
“Th-then.”
Though he still seemed confused, the man accepted my words with considerable composure. He seemed to be a seasoned user, either strong-willed or very experienced. He closed his eyes again as if to process my words. After about ten seconds, the man struggled to open his eyes and spoke.
“Ugh… Thank you… for saving me…”
“Don’t mention it. For now, you should rest.”
“Yes. Um… am I… the only one… The others…”
The man’s voice was intermittent, as if just speaking was a strain. I turned my head toward the unicorn corpse. The rescued users had been laid down neatly beside it at some point. My clan members had apparently taken off their own robes to cover parts of their bodies. I met the man’s gaze again and answered in a low voice.
“We rescued everyone we could. We’ve taken every possible measure for now.”
“Let me… see them…”
As soon as he heard my words, the man grunted and tensed his body. He seemed to want to see his rescued comrades. I took off my Coat of Plates and used it to cover his naked body, then put more strength into the hand supporting his neck. I helped him sit up and lean against me. He moved one step at a time as I guided him.
Lee Yoojung quickly caught on and moved. She turned the users lying on their sides onto their backs so the man could see their faces more easily. He then cast his gaze over each of the prone users. Sometimes he frowned, and other times he showed a look of relief. Soon, after seeing all the faces, the man turned his head toward me and spoke.
“W-was… was Mi-hee… not there…?”
“Mi-hee? Who are you referring to?”
“Ah, a w-woman… I mean… um. Her hair was long, down to her waist, and her skin was a little dark… Ah… She was imprisoned in the same place as me… She was the only one dragged away…”
The man’s voice trembled. His words were disjointed and broken, but I could roughly understand what he meant. It sounded like he and a woman named Mi-hee were imprisoned together, but she was taken away, leaving him behind.
Long hair down to her waist. Dark skin. The image of the corpse torn in half and draped over the triangular wooden horse flashed through my mind. I wondered why only the woman named Mi-hee had been taken, but answering him was the priority. I slowly shook my head from side to side.
“Is… she… dead…?”
“…With only the information you’ve given me, I don’t know who this Mi-hee is. And we are the second rescue team. The Users who entered this place were ten members of the Rapids’ Edge Clan and fourteen from the first rescue team. Of those, only seven have been rescued.”
“Th-then…”
“You said she was the only one dragged away, but we found a large number of bodies when we went down to the second basement floor. It’s highly likely… that she died there.”
Anyone who had been knocking around the Hall Plain for a while would understand what I was getting at. But the shock of losing someone precious, not just an ordinary comrade, is something no one can accept calmly. I knew that better than anyone. And right now, the man’s eyes were starting to resemble my own from when I lost my brother.
“Th-that can’t be. Th-then her body, at least her body… I have to see for myself…”
“I can’t be certain. However, every single body we found in the second basement was severely mutilated, without exception.”
“Ha…”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t rescue you sooner. But we did everything we could.”
“Keuheheu…! Keuheuheuk…!”
He must have sensed from my tone that I wasn't lying, because the moment I finished speaking, the man’s face crumpled, and he finally collapsed to the ground as if broken. Hot tears streamed from his eyes, which I thought had been completely dry, and a sorrowful wail burst forth. He must have been very close to the woman named Mi-hee.
“Keuheo-eoh…! Mi-hee… Mi-hee… I’m sorry…! Heu-eo-eong!”
“……”
The man soon lay sprawled on the floor, crying his heart out. The clan members all watched him with pitying faces. I, too, watched him silently for a moment before speaking in a quiet voice.
“Ahn Sol, Baek Hangyul. You two stay on the first floor and look after that man. Do your best to calm him down. Ah, and give your bags to Hyun and Yoojung.”
“Yes… I understand.”
“Good. If anything happens, shout loudly. The floors are all open-plan, so someone will hear you right away.”
It was a pitiful sight, but thinking that any further delay was a waste of time, I decided to start the exploration immediately. Also, even though we had covered them, we couldn't just leave the other users naked like this. If they hadn't been thrown away, their equipment was probably lying around here somewhere. In any case, if we weren't going to head back right away, moving quickly would be beneficial for both us and that man.
I looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then continued slowly.
“Then, everyone except you two will now begin exploring the castle. Including this floor, the castle has four floors in total. First, Kim Hanbyul?”
“Yes, Oppa.”
“You check the first floor. It doesn’t look like there’s anything special, but check things like the window frames and statues carefully. And see those ornaments hanging from the ceiling? Cut them all down with a cutter spell.”
“Okay, Oppa.”
After Kim Hanbyul’s meek reply, I assigned people to explore each floor. Ko Yeonju would take the second floor, and I entrusted the third to Lee Yoojung. The fourth floor, which had the most doors, was assigned to me and Ahn Hyun.
“Mi-hee-ya… I’m sorry… Mi-hee-ya… Keu-heo-eong…”
“Mister, please don’t cry…”
The shock of losing someone precious must have been immense, as the man’s sobbing voice still echoed through the hall. I watched Ahn Sol and Baek Hangyul comforting him, then announced the start of the exploration in a quiet voice.
*
“Oppa. I’ll go look around the third floor then.”
“Alright. Ahn Hyun and I will go up to the fourth. And just in case there’s a secret room or something, make sure to keep your Sensing active.”
“Okay.”
Ko Yeonju began her exploration on the second floor, and we arrived on the third. Lee Yoojung replied gloomily and turned to walk away. As I watched her back disappear around the railing, Ahn Hyun spoke to me in a quiet voice.
“Hyung. What on earth happened on the second basement floor?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Yeonju-nunim and Yoojung have had such dark expressions ever since they came up from there. And Lee Yoojung, who was always so excited about exploring, is so listless…”
“Well, we certainly saw a horrific sight. It must have been a pretty big shock, especially for Yoojung. Anyway, I’ll tell you about it later. We need to start exploring, too. You got the bags, right?”
“Of course.”
Ahn Hyun patted the magic backpack slung over his right shoulder as he replied. The two of us then went up one more flight of stairs to the fourth floor and, seeing the large number of doors, decided to split up and cover opposite sides.
“I’ll check from the left, so you start from the right.”
“Okay. Should I hold onto the bag then?”
“Yeah. I’ll call you if I find anything.”
“Got it, Hyung. See you in the middle.”
Ahn Hyun readily agreed. We both turned at the same time and split off, heading around the railing in our assigned directions.
I stopped for the first time after taking about ten steps around the railing. Before me was a wooden door that, while a bit old, had an antique glow. After sensing a hint of danger with Sensing, I grabbed the handle, turned it, and gently pushed the door open to enter.